How to make Japanese gyoza

While studying in Tokyo, I worked part-time as a chef, preparing a menu full of light Japanese dishes. Of all the Japanese delicacies I’ve cooked and eaten, my favourite is gyoza. You can make these dumplings in so many ways, using a variety of fillings. Plus, you can freeze a batch for later.

Ingredients

Gyoza skins (available from most Asian supermarkets)

500g pork mince

3 leaves of Chinese leaf lettuce, chopped finely

3-4 shiitake mushrooms, chopped finely

2 garlic cloves, chopped finely

½ thumb-sized piece of ginger, chopped finely

3 spring onions, chopped finely

1 ½ teaspoons soy sauce

1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil

1 ½ teaspoons mirin

1 ½ teaspoons sake

Salt and black pepper

½ teaspoon powdered potato starch (from the same Asian supermarket)

3 ½ teaspoons toasted sesame oil

Rice vinegar

Soy sauce

Method

1. Mix the vegetables and mushrooms in a large bowl with the mince, soy sauce, 1 ½ teaspoons of oil, mirin, sake, salt and pepper.

2. Take a gyoza skin in your non-dominant hand and place a small ball of the mixture into the middle.

3. Wet your dominant hand’s thumb, and run it around the outer edge of half the skin.

4. Fold the skin in half, enclosing the mixture, and crimp the outer rim using your fingers. The water should stick the two halves together.

5. Heat 1 teaspoon of oil in a pan and add the gyoza, leaving space between each. Fry for a few minutes until the bottoms are golden brown.

6. Add 50-60 ml of water with the potato starch to the pan, covering immediately. Cook until most of the water has evaporated.

7. Remove the lid and drain off the water. Add another teaspoon of oil to the pan and swill to cover the bottom of the pan.

8. Cook uncovered for a few minutes before removing the gyoza with a spatula. Place them golden-brown side down on a plate. The potato starch, water and oil should have formed a thin film that connects all the dumplings together, which the Japanese call ‘hane’ (feather).

Start planning your trip to Japan

Start thinking about your experience. These itineraries are simply suggestions for how you could enjoy some of the same experiences as our specialists. They’re just for inspiration, because your trip will be created around your particular tastes.